He writes the twice-weekly column “Pokin Around” for the Suburban Journals of St. Charles County (Mo.), where he has worked since 2003. In the column he mostly tells stories. Some are feature stories; others are tales from the home front; a few have been written as brief plays. Often, humor is the goal.
Over the years, although Steve has focused hard on newspaper reporting he has diligently pursued fiction writing, occasionally during breaks in his journalism career. He wrote a novel, “Wasted,” at age 26. He wrote another, “The Story Before My Eyes,” at age 46. Both remain unpublished. "The Story Before My Eyes" was named one of 10 finalists in the 2007 "Poets & Writers" Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award for Missouri fiction writers.
His one-act play “A Writer In Therapy” was chosen in 2004 by the Barrington (Ill.) Arts Council as one of three winners for an evening of one-act plays. Auditions were held. Unfortunately, the production was cancelled.
In 2003 his short story “In Training” was selected for “honorable mention” in the Writer’s Challenge Literary Association’s Short Story Challenge, in St. Peters, Mo.
Steve graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He lives in St. Charles with his wife, the Rev. Kemery Baldwin, and their 17-year-old son Luke.
Steve for five years was the site manager of a team of church volunteers who cared for the homeless in Lake County, Ill. He drew upon those experiences in writing “Room at the Inn.”
